Well we’re only half way through January, and I, like probably half the female population, have embarked on a new improved diet. A survey by XLS-Medical has suggested that 92% of us have fallen off the waggon already anyway!

We all need as many extra tips as we can get and so I have been researching if and how everyday fragrances can help to boost weight loss.

The average human nose recognises over 10,000 scents, and so you would think that at least some of those might aid appetite suppression….well I have good news for you, there are a few oils that will.

According to researchers in Osaka University Japan, rats exposed to the scent of grapefruit oil for 15 minute intervals, 3 times a week had reduced appetites and also lost weight.

The Smell & Taste Institute in Chicago studied a  group of 3,000 overweight people, giving half of them scents of either banana, green apple or peppermint to smell whenever they had a craving coming on, and overall, they lost around 5lb a month more than the non-sniffing group.

Other studies have used cinnamon, vanilla and fruits with varying results. Peppermint oil has been proven to improve awareness and alertness, and if sniffed throughout a workout, reduces perceived fatigue, resulting in greater stamina and a better gym performance.

Aromatherapy has the enhanced benefit of tricking the body into feeling fuller with less food. This is also seen in the newly discovered Christmas Dinner Syndrome. This is the theory that surrounding yourself in food scents suppresses your appetite significantly. This is borne out by the fact that the chef/cook who has spent all day in the kitchen preparing the Christmas meal (or dinner party fayre), sits down to eat, only to realise that they are no longer hungry – the cravings have disappeared (personally I’m not sure whether that’s just because you are tasting everything as you go along – or is that just me ).

So there you have it, I will be frantically sniffing a concoction of banana, apple & grapefruit oils for the rest of the week to see whether it makes a difference, and failing that I shall be treating myself to a new set of plates – blue is a supposed natural appetite suppressant! ;P

Let me know if you have tried any of the above or if you have any extra information as to whether it works.

Isnt it amazing how much nicer the world seems when the sun is shining?

 I dont know whether it is the fact that we are all a lot happier wearing less layers, or whether it is the warmth of the sun on our skin setting off our happiness hormones, but there is definitely an uplift in the general atmosphere. Even at work it doesnt seem quite as bad knowing that the sun will still shining on our way home, (and the annual firemens trip around the factory to check the safety of the building DEFINITELY lifted the mood amongst us ladies in the office!). Also, the evenings are getting longer and brighter, so there is always the chance of a late night sneaky glass of vino in the back garden in the dappled disappearing sunlight.

Like most people I know, my life has it’s fair share of ups and downs, amounting to a certain level of stress on a daily basis. What with working full-time, trying to run a family home, and family members with long term ill health, I often resort to using some form of aromatherapy or other to soothe my shattered soul.

This usually takes the form of a beautifully scented candle (I do seem to keep Jo Malone, Diptyque and the like in business single handedly!), or maybe a few drops of essential oil in my bath. I’m never quite sure whether it is the actual properties of the oils themselves that manage to calm and de-stress me or whether its the whole aromachology aspect of the scent, but something definitely hits the spot!

I was asked the other day what the difference was between aromatherapy and aromachology, so here is a quick description for both…

Aromatherapy is the systematic use of volatile plant oils (essential oils) for the treatment or prevention of disease. Essential oils have been used since ancient times as a healing aid and work by assisting the body’s natural ability to balance, regulate, heal and maintain itself. The oils consist of tiny aromatic molecules that are readily absorbed via the skin, and whilst breathing, through the lungs. These molecules then enter the bloodstream and are carried around the body where they can deliver their beneficial healing powers.

Aromachology is seen as the study of how a variety of aromas affect the brain and the physiological makeup of the human body. In brief, it is about how we act and react to individual fragrances and how our body reacts when we experience them. In essence it is a study of how fragrances in general can provide a feel good factor and affect your general mood.

Here are a few of the main essential oils along with an odour description and their main properties.

• Aniseed – sweet odour – softening, soothing and moisturising
• Basil – green aromatic – relaxing
• Bay – strong clove like – softening, soothing
• Benzoin – sweet vanilla like – relaxing, stimulating, soothing, moisturising
• Bergamot – spicy citrus – refreshing, uplifting
• Camphor – pungent – stimulating
• Cedarwood – sweet turpentine like – relaxing, aphrodisiac
• Chamomile – sweet herbal – relaxing, calming
• Cinnamon – warm, spicy – stimulant, aphrodisiac
• Clary Sage – warm, nutty – relaxing, aphrodisiac
• Cypress – smoky, woody – relaxing
• Eucalyptus – medicinal aromatic – stimulant, relaxing
• Frankincense – spicy, balsamic – relaxing
• Geranium – strong floral – relaxing, soothing
• Jasmine – intense powdery floral -  calming, aphrodisiac, uplifting
• Lavender – sweet floral – relaxing, stimulant
• Lemon – sharp citrus – uplifting, stimulant, refreshing
• Myrhh – camphor like aromatic – relaxing, soothing
• Neroli – sweet floral – soothing, relaxing, calming
• Nutmeg – sweet spicy – stimulating
• Patchouli – sweet rich herbaceous - relaxing, aphrodisiac
• Peppermint – clean menthol – relaxing, stimulating
• Pine – clean, balsamic – revitalising
• Rose – soft sweet floral – relaxing, aphrodisiac
• Rosemary – warm, medicinal woody
• Sandalwood – warm creamy woody – relaxing, aphrodisiac
• Ylang – intense sweet – relaxing, soothing, aphrodisiac

So the next time you are in need of a relaxing evening make sure your candle is scented with the likes of rose and sandalwood, or for an uplifting fragrance, use a sharp lemon, orange or grapefruit, and let me know whether it has the desired effect.

As for me i’ll be dreaming of chilling on a deserted beach with a good book and the wind in my hair………Have a happy Easter weekend.

I happened to be shopping in our local town centre on Saturday where i stumbled upon the filming of The Passion for Easter, and of course I couldnt resist a quick pic with Jesus – well who could?

It did however start me thinking about how fragrances and oils have been used throughout the ages, especially when the sunday supplement was full of retro 1970′s fashions. It seems that once again long forgotten fragrances are being revived, as teenagers begin to embrace all things retro in an effort to smell the way their parents did some 30 years ago, and we all try to revive our youth!

Seeing as we start the first day of Lent tomorrow I thought I would have a look into what, if any, oils and perfumes were mentioned in biblical times and forge myself a path back from there…..

Oils such as cumin, dill and mint all had honorable mentions as tithes in the Old Testament, presumably being used as incense bases alongside woods and resins. Mary Magdalene annointed the feet of Jesus with precious oils of  tuberose and Damascus rose with cedar being used by King Solomon during the construction of the temple. It is documented that oil of cedar was widely used to coat papyrus manuscripts to protect them from insects in the Roman times of Emperor Augustus.

Essential oils especially, can be traced quite easily during Egyptian times with Cleopatra herself using oil burners to announce her arrival when enjoying her ‘not so secret’ rendevous with Marc Anthony.

During ancient times crushed woods, resins and fragrant oils were pulped together and applied to the body as a balm, and it seems that perfume has come full circle. More and more of us are seeking out high quality aromatherapy oil to be used in exactly the same holistic way in order to reap the benefits and to de-stress ourselves from our hurried, harried lifestyles, in much the same way as our ancestors did.

I’m going to skip back now to the fantabulous 1970′s revival. It seems that wherever you turn at the moment there is a hint of the good old seventies….from a high street window with flared jeans and a turban headband (will they EVER revive the full on 18inch flared jeans with the pockets that ran the full length from your knee to the bottom hem – what on earth should we have stored in those? and maybe more to the point, how did we reach to the bottom of them!!!), to the recent episode of Come Dine with Me featuring that once sought after but now seemingly elusive prawn cocktail with marie rose sauce! (Oh how i miss those simplistic days……).

There has also been the recent revival of fragrances such as ‘Old Spice’ with its tongue in cheek YouTube ads, and not forgetting the good old dads favourites – Kouros and Brut. In terms of ladies fragrances I think the most memorable for me would be Charlie by Revlon – a happy go lucky blend of sharp florals and womanly (? – your guess is as good as mine!) woody notes. The box featured a young trouser suited woman who was meant to symbolise the working woman of the 1970′s. Then we had the darker, more evocatively exhuberant scents such as Opium and Tweed, all of which hold their own time related fragrance memories for many of us.

So now you have all been warned, dont be surprised if you find yourself at a summer barbecue this year sipping Blue Nun or Mateus Rose, stabbing at your prawns as they swim in their thick rose tinted sauce trying to dig your Starsky and Hutch sunglasses from out of the hem of your bell bottom jeans!! I’ll be the one hiding under my afro with my false bib blouse and my smelly Afghan floor length coat smelling of Anais Anais!!

What was your favourite fragrance from the past? Or maybe the fragrance memories you have of your parents or grandparents?